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Shrek Super Slam

Score: 88%
ESRB: Everyone 10+
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Shaba Games
Media: DVD/1
Players: 1 - 4
Genre: Action/ Fighting/ Family

Graphics & Sound:

Shrek Super Slam does a great job in recreating the look and feel of the “Shrek” movies. The entire game is teeming with humorous little details that made the movies so much fun. All of the characters from the movie (and even some lesser-seen side characters) are here, including Donkey, Fiona, Puss n' Boots and, of course, Shrek. Each is detailed really well and is about as close to movie-perfect as you're going to see on the current-gen of consoles. Even the minor characters like Robin Hood, the Seven Dwarves and Little Red Riding Hood benefit from a little modeling TLC. Arenas span nearly every location seen in the movie, from the Fiona's family castle to the Swamp and Fairy Godmother's factory. Each is presented in a "MTV Cribs" style rundown, showing you all of the features included for each character.

Sound is upbeat and fits with the game's style. None of the big name stars from the movies make appearances, but the sound-alikes do such a great job of mimicking the real thing that you really won't care that Eddie Murphy and Michael Myers weren't in the recording booth.


Gameplay:

If you didn't watch the credits of Shrek 2, you were probably left wondering why Donkey's wife, Dragon, wasn't featured in the film. Well, it turns out that Donkey and Dragon started a family, resulting in a group of obnoxious fire-breathing dragon/donkey hybrids. Anyone who has been around little kids knows just how difficult it is to get them to sleep, so imagine trying to wrangle a group of flying, fire-breathing jackasses. This is the challenge that befalls Shrek as he has to get the kids to sleep by telling them a number of bedtime stories, setting up the premise behind Shrek Super Slam.

Like Nintendo's Super Smash Brothers series, Shrek Super Slam's gameplay consists mainly of getting a motley crew of characters from assorted fairy tales and pitting them against each other in cartoony combat. Each fight is book-ended by a story and tells about an encounter between two characters, such as Puss n' Boots versus The Gingerbread Man. Some of the story sequences are really well done while others are rather cheesy. Regardless of quality, their only reason for existence is to facilitate fights between characters.

Outside the entertaining Story mode, a number of other modes are included like Training, Mega Challenge and Multiplayer. Mega Challenge mode is a group of mini-games that aren't as much fun as the main game, but give you something else to do. Challenges include races and a competition to see how far you can throw someone off a cliff. Playing through Mega Challenge unlocks new characters, new challenges and the real prize -- Slamageddon, a mode that makes every attack a powerful Super Slam. Multiplayer mode is easily the more entertaining of the additional modes. Multiplayer matches sport a number of settings to customize the experience. You can set up human vs. human or human vs. A.I. matches, as well as setting win conditions. It is a shame that an Online option wasn’t included.


Difficulty:

Even though I had a blast with Shrek Super Slam, it is still largely a kids' game -- so in that respect, its fairly easy for more experienced gamers to make it through the Story mode with little hassle. Part of what makes the game so easy is that it is truly a pick-up and play game. Anyone can get into the swing of things within a few seconds, while at the same time, there's enough challenge and depth that you'll have a little room to grow. However, since finesse isn't really something most 6-year olds have mastered, you can really just button mash your way to victory almost every time.

Game Mechanics:

One major difference between Shrek Super Slam and other fighters is the lack of a health meter. Instead, the main goal in matches is to build up your Slam meter and Super Slam an opponent as much as possible before time runs out. Whoever gets the most slams wins the match. Each character has their own special set of moves as well as a healthy selection of combos. Weapons are also scattered throughout arenas that can also be used in combat. Levels range from single-floor battlegrounds to multi-tiered platform areas that characters can jump onto. All of the levels are also fully interactive, letting you smash, bust and break nearly everything in sight.

Controls are simple to use, even for younger children. Each character has four main attacks: strong, weak, quick and a throw. The first three attacks can be combo’d together to perform specials moves, while throwing your opponent allows you to do some remodeling to the arenas. Sometimes, breaking things in the arena will also net you power-ups, which only increase the mayhem.

Shrek Super Slam may look like a cheap licensing cash-in from the box, but once you give it a chance, its a surprisingly fun experience for both kids and adults. This an especially fun game for parents to play with kids since it offers something for everyone and delivers a fun, family-friendly dose of competition.


-Starscream, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ricky Tucker

Sony PlayStation 2 Guitar Hero Windows Quake 4

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated